A leading lawmaker is intensifying his scrutiny of the financial ties between opioid makers, advocacy groups, and government panels that provide advice on the controversial and lucrative business of managing patient pain.

In a letter to the Department of Health and Human Services, Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) asked the agency to review various conflicts of interest among some members of the Pain Management Best Practices Inter-Agency Task Force, which was created two years ago to make recommendations for combating chronic and acute pain. Those directives may affect Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.

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